Jason Rojas

For those of you impacted by the changes to the Medicare Savings program, there is good news. The state Department of Social Services has announced that it will delay the scheduled Jan. 1 implementation of income eligibility reductions in the Medicare Savings Programs, as a result of concerns raised by beneficiaries, advocates and legislators.

The Office of Policy and Management has announced that residents enrolled in the state’s Renter’s Rebate program are expected to receive their checks this week.

Good news for East Hartford and Manchester. The state has approved grants for remediation of blighted properties targeted for redevelopment.

Do you and your family have health insurance coverage? Do you know of anyone who needs it? Enrollment in Access Health CT is off to another strong start this year, and you can still sign up until Dec. 22.

Some good news: Care 4 Kids, Connecticut’s primary child-care support program, has been reopened, and eligible families on the wait list can now begin to enroll.

Like most Americans of Puerto Rican descent, the past week — following the devastating destruction brought by Hurricane Maria — has been an emotional roller coaster for me and my family, Rep. Jason Rojas writes in an opinion article for The Courant.

Rep. Jason Rojas joined his legislative colleagues who represent East Hartford in issuing a statement denouncing the Republican-sponsored state budget as a dishonest and short-sighted proposal that punishes poor and middle-class working families while providing more money to rich communities.

Over the past week the state House of Representatives and Senate took a significant step last week toward addressing the state's fiscal challenges by approving a crucial piece of the overall budget puzzle - ratifying a state employee concessions package deal that is estimated to result in $1.2 billion worth of savings over the next two years and $24 billion over the next 20 years.